Focus on a good, stable exit. You'll give yourself a lot more time to pull if you're not spinning and flipping :)

Practice a few times in the mock up, perhaps get one of the more experienced jumpers to give you a few pointers. If you're doing a dive exit, lifting elbow to present to wind and curling your legs all the way back will help you get a good exit.

Realize that your exit altitude is going to be way above what most people have for static line training - not only for the jumps with static line, but even for the first freefall jumps.

So, you have at least 100 times the skill at being stable and regaining stability than a static line student doing their first freefall, and you're going to be doing it from a higher altitude, so stop worrying and enjoy it! You could intentionally do an unstable exit and still have lots of time to make it right.

Hard arch off the plane, belly to the relative wind (don't try to get belly to earth right away, just fly the wind), and remember you have plenty of time to deploy. If you were at terminal, you'd burn 1000' in 5 seconds, but after exit, 1000' takes ten seconds. Hard arch because the air is "mushy" until you get some speed up. I know you're supposed to deploy in five seconds, but for the first one I would rather see a stable exit and deployment that takes a little more time than something rushed and unstable.

My piece of advice is to make sure you are in a stable position, don't rush the pulling. I've just made a few hop'n'pop, and I was in the same situation than you. I've been told to jump presenting my belly to the wind, rotating my body and head a little bit to look inside the plane as leaving, like saying good bye (caravan). Then you are supposed to be stable right from exit and able to pull. I did it twice, no problem. The third jump I did more or less the same. I had plenty of time to pull, but instead I chose to rush the opening to have more time to play with the canopy. I pulled way too soon and carelessly. The PC came in front of me and between my legs after that. I managed to grab the lanyard and pull it out of my legs at the same time as I rolled to put my belly down to earth (I was falling on my back). The canopy was open higher than any of my fellow jumpers had pull. But as somebody that was filming the exits told me later I was a "lucky bastard". I absolutely agree. That was stupid, it could have been really bad. I've learned from my mistake, I hope you can learn too.

now there is some damn good advice...on the first one, I had my eyeballs glued to the DZ...not a good thing to do! It was ugly as a shit-burger with a dead frog on top, I tumbled, was on my back, turned over, got stable and pulled, and I had a stable canopy at 3500...(we do Hop n Pops at 5000). At that point I realized my jitters were totally absurd. I know how to get stable, and I had plenty of time, as many of you pointed out. I enjoyed the ride down, got a sweet standup landing, and went straight to manifest and got another jump ticket! The second one was stable, clean, relaxed, and a buttload of fun! I think I may do quite a few Hop n Pops during the colder months - can't wait for my next trip to the DZ!

I did my first hop 'n pop recently, and it went shitty. At first I underestimated the time to altitude (3500 ft in 3 minutes). First one out, and had trouble opening the door... At jump off, I instantly reached for the pilot chute and pulled, and got unstable at opening.

Back on the ground someone called me over and showed me my exit on vide. I was politely explained how I could've done it better. It really helped, but it would've helped a lot if I had just relaxed :/

Did my hop n pops last week, both at 5500 and 3500. And I just became certified two days ago.

My only advice to you is relax. Relax is the key. You will realize that you do have plenty of time. That is the concept that is quite hard for us, newbies, to comprehend. Do what you have been trained to do and you will be fine.

Did my hop n pops last week, both at 5500 and 3500. And I just became certified two days ago.

My only advice to you is relax. Relax is the key. You will realize that you do have plenty of time. That is the concept that is quite hard for us, newbies, to comprehend. Do what you have been trained to do and you will be fine.

Enjoy!

What does "relax" actually mean? What am I supposed to do to be "relaxed"?

What does "relax" actually mean? What am I supposed to do to be "relaxed"?

I joke that I'll just keep shouting louder at a student until they relax, sort of like 'the floggings will continue until morale improves'.

Seriously, I agree that "relax" does indeed always need extra explanation. But is there any better word to use?

One doesn't want a student to go limp on the one hand, but one doesn't want them to get nervous and do a totally wrong body position (e.g., look down & dearch), nor go rigid with tension (which can pull someone from an arch into a flatter position), nor be so stiff in the arch that they 'chip' in freefall, nor try too hard to push on the air (e.g., moving an arm in freefall will control your movement, but you can't just punch the air as you can lose surface area and lose control).

While in teaching one wants to emphasize the positive and the correct way to do things, in this case it is hard to say what is right without showing what is wrong.

this used to work for us. at our club where EVRYone learned via the static line method... ( i'm talking Decades ago...)

increase exit altitude by 500 feet and suggest to the student, that they "resist that initial urge to PULL" Instead Finish what you started out, to DO. ..

which is to throw a nice arch !!! and feeel the relative wind as velocity increases.... Then... it WILL be time to pull. We also used to suggest that the exiting jumper try their best to SEE the jumpmaster in the door, who will be smiling..... and waving to Them.

H & P's can be done at 3,200 to 3,500 feet... safely and successfully... ( hell , we'd get out at 2 grand... NO problem...Say, if the ceiling was low.... of course Not students.. but ANY C or D license holder...)

When an exit is at 5 grand or 5,500 feet,,, is the spot adjusted as needed???

Should the jumper also be spotting?? ( albiet with guidence from an instructor) on these early H & Ps???..OR is that too many "targeted learning objectives" ??

What does "relax" actually mean? What am I supposed to do to be "relaxed"?

Quote:

I only can speak from my own experience. What I think may not work for others. We all came from different walk of life and getting to the result is often different from each of us.

Bear with me since I am not very good at explanation:

From my experiences, I need to relax mentally. I am (or was) known for tumbling at the exit. I already had been drilled on body positions, and the reasons behind it. My instructors told me countless times that I need to arch more, or get legs out. Even with all the drills that were instilled in me, I still had trouble with the exit. It wasn't until the hop and pops that I realize what my problem was. I tended to get nervous at the exit and was not aware of what I was doing. I simply exited and arched like I have been drilled to do. There was no thinking in this transition and that was the mistake. Clearly, this set up is wrong. So, I forced myself to relax mentally and try to understand why I had trouble with the exits. I started to think and pay more attention at the exit. I was able to recognize mistakes and/or potential mistakes at the exit and I allow my body to counteract to events as it unfold before my eyes. As the result, I saw a smoother transition with the ôrelative windö.

How does my experiences apply to others? I figured that whatever the mistakes they have, it is probably because they stopped thinking (or got nervous), even if it was only matter of a second or two. And they probably wasn't sure how to react to those events as it unfold before their eyes.

How does my experiences apply to others? I figured that whatever the mistakes they have, it is probably because they stopped thinking (or got nervous), even if it was only matter of a second or two. And they probably wasn't sure how to react to those events as it unfold before their eyes.

I think this is spot on. I've noticed that the more I jump the more I'm able to bring awareness to each moment, and to notice new things. At first it was noticing things I'm doing wrong and correcting them. Slowly I'm starting to become aware of others on the exit with me.

I think that space where you relax enough to be able to think is what you're talking about.